


Danganronpa: Monster Happy Havoc

by Nerdist, Priestlyislove



Series: Danganronpa Monster AU [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Monsters, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Gen, Human/Monster Society, Humor, M/M, Multi, Murder Mystery, Plot Retelling, Spoilers, Swearing, They Die But They Get Better, Trans Chihiro, Trans Female Character, we promise, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27833521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdist/pseuds/Nerdist, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Priestlyislove/pseuds/Priestlyislove
Summary: Danganronpa THH but everyone’s monsters and they don’t stay dead
Relationships: Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Kirigiri Kyoko/Celestia Ludenberg, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto, Maizono Sayaka/Naegi Makoto, Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya
Series: Danganronpa Monster AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090589
Comments: 8
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

It’s been theorized that monsters have lived in this world for as long as humans have, if not longer. Those who could hide their abnormalities would blend in, and those who could not lived in secrecy, on the outskirts of human civilization. History is littered with stories of these demihumans, though many are untrue depictions based on rumors and misunderstandings.

As humans developed the world, there were less places for monsters to disappear to, which ultimately led to them revealing their existence to the general population some fifty odd years ago. Most monsters today grew up among humans, going to school with them and entering the workforce like everyone else. The stuff of myth and legend became exceedingly ordinary. 

But not everyone thought monsters should be forced to live like humans, ignoring their innate biological differences, especially when many of those differences were superior to their human counterparts. Many monsters possessed greater speed, or strength, or any number of talents that were unusual in humans. Some believed monsters should be taught to embrace these differences and nurture their rare talents to benefit not only themselves but the world as a whole.

It was this belief that Hope’s Peak Academy was founded on. It quickly became a prestigious school, and one of the only schools exclusively for monsters. Instead of learning to blend in, students were encouraged to be themselves, and the results were astounding. Monsters who went to Hope’s Peak quickly worked their way to the tops of their respective fields. Being chosen to go to Hope’s Peak was an honor. 

Or, it was an honor for monsters. For Makoto Naegi, it was just confusing. 

Makoto was as human as a human could get. There was nothing remotely unique about him. He had average grades, average hobbies, average looks. Even his own mother could lose him in a crowd.

At first, he thought it was a mistake, but close inspection of the acceptance letter revealed that he was randomly chosen to be the first ever human student at Hope’s Peak. They were trying something new this year, and out of every student in the country, he was the lucky one chosen. Maybe they wanted to see if they could bring out the best in someone average the same way they brought out the best in the remarkable students. 

It was that hope that pushed Makoto to go, the hope he could be more than he was, and that this school held the key to that bright future. Here he was, at the entrance of ultimate hope. 

The school was huge, seeming to reach for the heavens. Makoto took in a deep breath. He had done as much research as he could beforehand. Being the groundbreaking school it was, there were plenty of internet discussions revolving around it. He was able to study up on the history of the school, and discovered some information on his prospective classmates, but he still felt underprepared now, actually face to face with the enormous building. 

He glanced at the clock hung above the outside entrance and saw that he was nearly an hour early. With the anxiety of starting a new school and meeting new friends, Makoto wanted to be sure he would make it on time. 

Nobody else had arrived yet, from what he could tell. Since he was here alone, he decided to explore the school and see what it was all about. There was nothing stated in the school’s guidelines that said he couldn’t. Gathering every ounce of courage he had, Makoto opened the front door and took his first step into Hope’s Peak Academy.

As if triggered upon entering the school, the entire world seemed to tilt. “What the-”

But before he could finish the thought, his vision began to move as if he was on an out of control spinning cup at Disney World. He had to squeeze his eyes shut. It was too much, he couldn’t handle it. Makoto felt like he could puke on the spot, which was a great way to start the first day. And then, there was nothing but darkness.

The first thing Makoto became aware of was the puddle of drool he seemed to be resting in. Despite the sharp pain in his head, he cracked open one eye, hoping that he wasn’t already embarrassing himself in front of everyone. However, looking around, there was no one else. Makoto lifted his head from the hard surface with a groan and fully opened both eyes to survey the area. He was in a classroom, currently seated at a desk. Was he carried here? But then where were the other students?

That’s when he saw the huge metal plates bolted onto the wall and the surveillance camera. A shiver went down Makoto’s spine. Was this some kind of elaborate joke? Where were the windows? Was this some kind of prison? He was about to get out of his seat when he noticed the slip of paper clutched in his hand. 

Despite his bizarre and upsetting surroundings, curiosity got the better of him and he smoothed out the crinkled paper. It might clue him on what was happening. The paper was actually a crudely drawn pamphlet for the school, stating congratulations for getting into Hope’s Peak as well as a reminder of the meeting at 8 am. Makoto looked at the classroom clock. It was already 8:05, meaning he had been passed out for nearly an hour. 

Makoto stumbled to his feet and began to make his way to the entrance. Whatever was going on, he didn’t want to be late on the first day. He still felt slightly dizzy and a little hazy after his impromptu nap, but he figured it would fade soon. He followed the hallway, hoping he wouldn’t get lost. He crept in as quietly as possible, praying that he wouldn’t bring any unnecessary attention to himself.

“Oh hey! Here comes another one! It’s got to be the last one, right?”

“That makes fifteen, that’s a good cutoff point.”

“I wonder what kind of monster they are?”

Well, there went his plan of being unnoticed. He didn’t waste too much time mourning his lack of discretion, as he was thrusted into polite conversation mode.

“O-oh, you must be the other new students?” His voice came out higher than he wanted it to. “My name is Makoto Naegi. It’s nice to meet you all.”

He gave his best smile, though it might have looked more like a wobbly grimace at this point. He was met with a little chorus of “nice to meet you!” and one student barreling towards him. Makoto tried not to flinch at the sudden approach.

He was taller than Makoto (though that wasn’t saying much), with wild red eyes that were accentuated by thick, downturned brows. The style of his short, dark hair seemed to draw attention to his lack of ears. Makoto’s eyes wandered up and he gaped at the pointed, fluffy ears sitting on top of his head.

“You were aware that we were supposed to meet at eight am sharp,” he barked, though Makoto felt like a jerk for thinking of it like that, but when met with two furry ears it was the first verb that came to mind to match the sharp tone. “This type of tardiness is inexcusable for the first day, and I have no other choice but to report you. You must face due punishment for this unreasonable behavior!”

“Dude, chill.” A girl in the center of the room scoffed, “we all got like, knocked out, bet he did too.”

“Y-you guys too…?” Makoto glanced around the space, getting several affirming head nods.

A different girl spoke up, “It seems like we all fell asleep or something. Weird, huh?” She pondered on the thought for a moment, then shrugged, “We should introduce ourselves, get to know each other a little better.”

“Are you kiddin’? Who cares about something like that right now.” One of the male students grunted. Makoto hoped they would agree on introductions, because there were too many faces to keep track of. 

Another girl hummed thoughtfully. Definitely too many faces. “Well, it may be to our benefit to find out who everyone is before facing the bigger problems we find ourselves in. Let us get through these introductions, and then we can worry about whatever else is at hand, yes?”

There were murmurs of agreement around the room and then they started separating into more defined groups. Makoto, who was still standing close to the door he entered, stared at his fellow classmates with the same trepidation that always overtook him when he was meeting new people. But there was more to it than that. Everyone gave off this unnameable aura that caused his feet to be glued in place. He had never been around so many monsters before. It was like entering another world. Who should he talk to first? He had done as much research on the internet as he could, but…

The choice was swiftly stolen from him as the wolf boy from earlier began vigorously shaking his hand, as if he was trying to wriggle his arm out of his socket. “My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru! I believe in bold simplicity! Let’s work together on our educational crusade!”

Aside from the shocking ears, Kiyotaka’s appearance seemed mostly human. Makoto’s eyes were drawn to his too-sharp canines as he spoke, and realized the strange whooshing sound he was hearing came from the tail wagging furiously behind him. Other than that, he looked like anyone Makoto would meet on the street. He figured that full moons would be a different story.

The internet thread had mentioned him only briefly, as several students had more interesting stories to discuss, but Makoto remembered that he was an honors student. Before Makoto could get a word in, he continued enthusiastically, “You can call me Taka. You said your name is Makoto Naegi, right? That’s a good name, a strong name! You should thank your parents for giving you such an excellent name! Thank them by devoting yourself every day! Everything in life deserves full dedication, every ounce of effort possible!” 

Taka walked off to go talk to another classmate without Makoto even saying one word. He was somewhat overbearing and intense, but he seemed nice enough. Makoto glanced around, and made eye contact accidentally with a harpy girl. 

Sayaka Maizono. In place of arms, she had elegant wings, the same iridescent black as her hair. Makoto didn’t need the internet to tell him that. She was his old classmate from middle school. Not that it mattered, since she wouldn’t recognize him. They weren’t friends or even acquaintances, in fact, they never even had a single conversation together. She was already popular when they were in school together and, especially now with her being a part of a pretty successful idol group, she knew dozens if not hundreds of more interesting people than him. 

“Hi, I’m Sayaka, it’s nice to meet you.” She smiled brightly. Everything about her, from the way she moved to her scent was mesmerizing to him. It didn’t surprise him that she was so popular. Everything about her was perfect, like she was a doll. She giggled, “I’m not a doll, you know, I’m alive.”

“W-what?! H-how did you-!”

“Didn’t you know? I’m psychic.” She stared at him owlishly, and then giggled again. “I’m kidding! I just have pretty good intuition.”

“O-oh...hah, good one.”

She moved closer to him, “Hey, by any chance…?”

“Makoto! Stop hogging the introduction time!” Before she could finish her thought, Taka had wedged himself between them, “We have a lot of people to meet, there’s no time for idle chit chat!” 

“You’re right, sorry,” Sayaka waved off his concerns, then shot one more smile Makoto’s way, “we can talk later anyway.”

She winked and Makoto quickly turned away, a small blush decorating his cheeks. He needed to focus on the other introductions before he became too flustered. He walked over to the girl Taka had just finished talking to. She had her hair separated in two tightly braided pigtails and a pair of large glasses rested on her face.

“It’s not like you’re going to r-remember this, but my name’s Toko Fukawa.” 

“Are you human?” Makoto asked without thinking. He hadn’t meant to blurt it out, but there was nothing that struck him as unusual about the way she looked. “Oh, I’m sorry, it’s just I’m-”

“S-sorry I’m not freakish enough for you,” she started playing with her necklace, a deep scowl forming on her face, “it’s not my fault m-men these days want fr-freakish women like that idol wh-whore. Don’t think I didn’t notice, o-of course you talk to her first. I’m too u-ugly to be human, but not m-monstrous enough to be worthwhile, is that what you’re thinking?”

Makoto’s eyes widened dramatically and he rapidly shook his head. He noticed the vial hanging from her neck that she fidgeted with and connected it to what he read in the Hope’s Peak chat thread. Toko had written several romance novels, but after she got her heart broken for the first time, she had decided to try to cut herself off from love completely. Rumor had it that she actually created the potion herself, but however she got her hands on it, the effects were unexpected. Whenever she drank it, she would transform into someone entirely different, someone who was criminally boy crazy to make up for the repression.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“J-just get out of here already! Talk to someone w-who will satisfy your f-freak meter!”

Makoto scurried away, not looking where he was heading. Before he knew it, he slammed head first into another one of his classmates. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry, I wasn’t-”

His sentence was interrupted by his own horrified shriek. His… his head was… was…!

Somehow, with strength he didn’t know he possessed, Makoto had knocked his classmate’s head clean off of his neck. At least, that was the only explanation Makoto’s brain could conjure for the headless body in front of him.

“Oh Ho! I thought the headless horseman trope was quite overused, but that reaction was stunning! In fact, I think I have a new idea for a 4koma!”

Shaking, Makoto questioned, “What the…?”

Managing to tear his eyes from the body without a head, Makoto looked at the speaker. His classmate had mottled green skin and looked as if he’d had a fight with a sewing machine one too many times. Though his clothes were intact, some places were mended with patches and clumsy stitch work. His cracked glasses did little to hide his glazed over eyes. He didn’t seem to care too much about his appearance considering the line of drool and the mussed up hair. He was holding the severed head of a redhead, which made Makoto inhale sharply with shock.

“I’m Hifumi Yamada, the pleasure’s all mine.” Hifumi greeted Makoto warmly, as if oblivious to the crisis he was having. “You may be aware of me, my doujin penname is the Omega Zombie.” 

“Hey, pass me over,” the head spoke, making Makoto jolt again. Hifumi obliged and held it closer to Makoto, who had no choice but to take it. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to hold it, but he just focused on holding it tightly. The last thing he wanted was to drop it. “Wassup? I’m Leon.”

With such a singular name, Makoto realized he must be the baseball player the thread mentioned. Leon Kuwata, the dullahan. He hadn’t heard the term before, and was confused by the information the internet had given him. He was unprepared for it. “Y-you play baseball?”

“Yeah, I bet you’re surprised I don’t have a shaved head, right? I get it.”

“Y-yeah, that’s totally what caught me off-guard,” Makoto responded with a weak chuckle as if 10 years weren’t just taken off of his life.

“Honestly, I’m not like, huge into baseball. Like, I’ve never gone to practice. If you can throw a head, you can throw a baseball, you know?” He grinned, “Now that I’ve been accepted here, I’m never going back to baseball, I got dreams and shit now. I’m gonna be a singer. You can feel it, right? My rockstar aura.”

He certainly looked more like a wannabe rockstar than a baseball player, with his bright red hair and matching goatee, and his multitude of piercings. Leon continued, “This new version of me is like, super cool to the max.” 

The headless body-Leon’s, presumably-stuck out its hands expectantly, and Makoto took that as a signal to hand the head back over. It was a relief to not have to be responsible for it any longer, but it didn’t seem like Leon was overly careful with it, as he held it with just one hand and passed it nonchalantly to the other. “It was nice to meet both of you,” was Makoto’s automatic response along with a pair of finger guns before he awkwardly shuffled his way to the next group.

Makoto took a deep, calming breath to try and pull himself together. His calm demeanor lasted for all of two seconds when he looked at his next closest classmate. 

Easily clearing the six foot mark, he would be menacing no matter what, but his presence was made even more threatening by the huge decorated horns that loomed with one partially sawed off. The silhouette of a minotaur was frightening up close. His scowling face was covered in fur that went past the neckline of his shirt. It was light brown with darker splotches, matching his pompadour and mullet, with dark lines accentuating his eyes. Everything about him seemed intimidating. His snout even had a golden nose ring which would have looked silly if he hadn’t looked absolutely furious and jacked enough to tear a grown man in half. 

Trying his best not to make eye contact, Makoto began to quickly walk past, but luck was not on his side.

“What, not even gonna say hello, shithead?” He growled, his fluffy tail and long ears flicking in irritation.

Makoto immediately froze in place. Well, he was screwed. “Um… hi?”

“The name is Mondo Oowada. Nice to fuckin’ meetcha.”

“It’s uh… it’s nice to m-meet you too?”

Mondo held out a fist, causing Makoto to jump back frantically, but as he kept his hand in place, Makoto realized he was silently asking for a fist bump. Makoto tapped his fist against Mondo’s. “Hell yeah.”

If interactions like these kept happening, Makoto was going to need a board to keep track of the amount of years he was losing. He ambled over to the next student, whose eyes were glued to the ground. She was the complete opposite of Mondo, being tiny and metallic. 

The Hope’s Peak’s chat thread had a lot to say about her with heated debates on whether or not a human-made robot should be considered a monster. Apparently, she was the first self learning AI, capable of conscious thought and emotions. She was smaller than he was, with a slight box-shaped body, a square face and a welded skirt. Her arms and legs looked more flexible, seeming to be made out of tubes of weaved metal.

“Hello,” Makoto started gently.

The girl yelped, causing him to make a similar sound in return. She looked up at him and breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh wow, you really startled me. I’m sorry, my name is Chihiro Fujisaki. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Makoto smiled, “That’s alright. You startled me too, so we’re even. It’s nice to meet you too.”

They both laughed lightly before waving goodbye. Feeling rejuvenated after a somewhat normal conversation, Makoto carried on with a little more spring in his step. 

“Hey, you! What was your name again?” A voice piped up. Makoto looked in the direction it came from, and spotted two girls. One was tall, with blonde pigtails, and the other had a ponytail and sat in a wheelchair. The latter spoke up again, “whoever you are, come here!”

Makoto obeyed. “Uh, I’m Makoto Naegi.”

“Makoto! Makoto, Makoto, Makoto,” she pretended to write it on her palm, “There we go! Now I won’t forget. I’m Hina, and this is Junko-she’s in magazines, see? Isn’t that amazing?” 

“Yeah, it’s pretty sweet,” Junko threw up a peace sign and showed off a toothy grin. All of her teeth were sharply pointed, and that wasn’t the only inhuman thing about her. She had a red horn protruding from her bangs, with a matching red set of bat wings and a spade tail.

“How come you don’t have two horns like you do in the pictures?” Hina asked. She clearly had no trouble speaking her mind. Closer to her, Makoto was able to see she had a shimmering red and silver colored fish tail instead of legs. She also had several scales spotting her face almost like freckles, and red gills on the sides of her neck. In her webbed hand, she held a spritz bottle which she was currently using on herself.

“Huh? Oh, that junk is all photoshop. Edited to hell and back. Yeah, you know, everyone wants a demon chick with two horns, it’s like, a total beauty standard.” She whined when Hina and Makoto exchanged a look, “what? It’s totally normal these days. Everybody does it, so stop with those reactions or I’ll get super depressed.”

“Uh, sorry,” Makoto chuckled with an awkward head scratch, “I’ll be going, it was nice to meet you two.”

Hina and Junko had moved on from him by the time he tried saying goodbye, as Sayaka joined them and their conversation took off like they were old friends reuniting. He shook his head to himself and he met eyes with a girl with white hair, who quickly looked away. He wandered over, “Uh, hi, I’m Makoto.” 

She gave him a blank stare. “...you’ve said that.”

“Right,” Makoto laughed, but she didn’t offer him so much as a sympathy smile. After some silence, he tried again, “Can I ask your name?”

She continued to stare, like she was looking right through him. She didn’t have any features that struck him as monstrous. Was it possible she was human too? “I’m...Kyoko Kirigiri.”

He didn’t recognize the name, which was odd after all the research he did. “So, um, why are you at this school?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“N-Nothing, it’s just...this school is for monsters and everything, so I was just wondering-“

“Why should I tell you?” She asked abruptly. It was hard to read her feelings. 

“Sorry, you’re right, you don’t have to tell me,” Makoto responded weakly, face heating up with embarrassment, “forget I asked.”

He walked away from yet another awkward introduction, heading towards the students in the back of the room, and was suddenly stopped by something poking his arm. Makoto looked around quizzingly. “Huh?”

He received a few more pokes, this time to his stomach. “What the heck?”

He glanced down just in time to see a small figure flying towards his face. He gave a small shout and stumbled back. The small being followed, prodding at his face. She looked to only be about 6 inches tall, but she looked like she could be a model for a buff action figure from the 80s. Her body was littered with scars that did not match the aesthetic of her dragonfly wings nor the glowing pink sparkles that surrounded her. “Hmm… you stature and muscles match those of an average high school student. Unfortunately, you are unfit to be my sparring partner.”

“O-okay?”

Despite her size, Makoto had the sneaking suspicion that she could throw him into next week with little effort.

“How rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sakura Oogami. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” 

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you too.”

Giving him a nod, she flitted away and was quickly replaced with someone who had the poofiest hair Makoto had ever seen. While his face looked human enough, the rest of him looked like a creature you’d only see in the land of Oz. On his back, he had giant wings that were brightly colored, similar to a macaw’s. He was fully clothed, except he wasn’t wearing any socks or shoes. He had huge lion paws for feet, and the fur continued up his legs and presumably over his whole body. This theory was further supported by the paws he had for hands as well. He clapped Makoto on the back, almost knocking him over. “You call me Hiro, little buddy.”

He then stared at Makoto intensely, making Makoto stare back in confusion. “Can I help you?”

Hiro shook himself out of his trance and rubbed at his chin, “Ah, I see, I see.”

“What do you see? I don’t-”

“A Sasquatch riding on the back of a dolphin while wearing ten-inch heels while high-fiving a three-headed hell hound is it! My vision is telling you that's your guardian angel!”

“What?!”

“HA! Nah, I’m just kidding,” Hiro gave him another hearty smack on the back, “But I do have visions. Sphinxes can see the future, you know.”

“Oh, I never knew that.” Makoto was almost positive that sphinxes did not have that ability, but he decided not to push the issue.

“You seem cool, we should grab a pack of cold ones and chill sometime,” Hiro laughed, “don’t worry, I can get my hands on it, easy. I got held back a lot, but that’s a long story. Oh, hey! Robo-dudette! I think I saw you in a vision!” He shouted across the room at Chihiro, who startled. 

As Hiro headed off towards Chihiro, Makoto headed towards a tall boy near the door. He seemed to be examining it, and for good reason. In the excitement, Makoto had somehow missed the strange metal hatch that blocked the main entrance of the school. “What are you doing?”

“Name’s Byakuya Togami. You’re Makoto Naegi. Are we done?” Byakuya turned his attention back to the door. He was paper white, with pointy ears and pointier fangs. There was no doubt he was a vampire, and his aristocratic air only added to the effect. “Go away. I have no interest in being your friend. I feel like I’m losing money just looking at you.”

He heard a giggle, and felt eyes on him. Knowing this conversation was going nowhere, he decided to redirect his focus to that. It was the girl in the corner who was dressed in old fashioned clothing. Her twin tails turned out to be two large snakes, as Makoto realized more than one set of ruby eyes were watching him patiently. She must’ve been the gorgon he had read about. Apparently, she made quite a stir with her gambling addiction. She would happily take all of someone’s life savings, laughing as they cried.

“Am I the last one you decided to talk to? It isn’t polite to make a lady wait,” she extended a dainty hand. Makoto shook it, surprised by how cold it was. “I am Celestia Ludenberg. You may call me Celeste.”

It was a peculiar name, and certainly not very Japanese sounding. “Where are you from?” 

“Japan, of course.” She smiled sweetly, but there was something venomous about it. Her slitted pupils seemed to cut right through him. Makoto decided it would be best to drop it. “I look forward to getting to know you better.”

Over the low rumble of pleasant conversation filling the room, a sudden voice took over. 

“Ahem! This is a test of the school’s broadcasting system! Am I on? Can everyone hear me?”

Everyone fell into expectant silence, like they were holding their breath. Makoto found the voice unnerving. It was just so playful and relaxed, it felt completely out of place. It rang out like laughter at the scene of a car accident. 

“Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience, as it’s time to start the entrance ceremony!” 

The room seemed to relax all at once. “See, I told you the school’s messin’ with us,” Hiro’s voice boomed as he slugged Chihiro on the arm in a friendly way. She laughed a little. “They’re trying to get us pumped for the ceremony, that’s all.” 

Byakuya weaved through the crowd first, but soon everyone followed suit and headed towards the gymnasium. Makoto tried to push his lingering unease aside as he trailed behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

“This shit’s a pain in my balls. S’worse than juvy,” Mondo grumbled as he pushed open the door to the gym. They entered a small space featuring trophies and other prizes from athletic tournaments. Beyond that was another door.

“It’s weird we haven’t seen anyone, right?” Sayaka glanced around the group, “There was nobody else in the halls.” 

Junko and Hina were sticking close to Sayaka. It was always surprising to see how quickly people broke off into groups, but Makoto would be lying if he said they weren’t a stunning trio. It was pretty crazy to be in a class with so many attractive people, but he supposed that was normal at an elite school like Hope’s Peak. Hina nodded as Junko sighed, “Man, that can’t be good.” 

“There’s nothing to be frightened of! They’re only messing with us! Right, Hiro?” Taka turned to Hiro for approval. Apparently, the girls weren’t the only ones itching to make friends. Hiro was unfazed by his energetic satellite and responded by patting his head. Makoto wasn’t sure if that would be considered insensitive behavior, but Taka’s tail was wagging. 

“Right on, little dude.”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” Sakura, who was fluttering near the back of the group, flitted to the front to open the door. 

Mondo seemed to take that as Sakura challenging him, so he grabbed the handle, “Whatever, it’s not like I’m scared or shit, so let’s get this over with.”

The gym was surprisingly normal. A large space with bleachers on the sides and a stage across the room from them. There were folding chairs set out, and a podium on stage. It was all set up for a perfectly normal entrance ceremony. 

“See, told ya,” Hiro had not removed his paw from Taka’s head. He seemed to be using him more like an armrest than anything else. “It’s just a regular entrance ceremony.”

Suddenly, there was a voice, the same one that had spoken over the intercom system. “Everyone here? Wonderful! Let’s get things started!”

Everyone looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. When Makoto’s eyes ended up back on the podium, he saw a black and white plush bear sitting on it.

“A teddy bear...?” Chihiro stepped closer. 

“I’m not a teddy bear!” The voice spoke again, and there was no mistaking it: the source was the bear. “I am Monokuma, and I am your headmaster!” 

There were many different types of monsters in the world, and many more that hadn’t been given a proper identity yet, but there was no way Monokuma was a monster. A little bear like that was far too beastly to fit Makoto’s understanding of monsters, as they were always semi human.

Apparently, his sentiment was shared, as Hifumi yelled out, “Eh?! It talks! It moves!” 

“It must have a speaker inside!” Taka offered.

“Remote controlled or somethin’,” Mondo agreed, folding his arms across his chest, “Nothing to freak out over.” 

“To compare me to a child’s toy, unbelievable! You cut me deep,” Monokuma shook his head. His movements were too fluid for a toy, that was for sure. “But I’ll let it go for now! It’s time we get started. Now, everyone stand at attention and say good morning!”

“Good morning!” Taka shouted back, at his loudest yet.

Toko took a step further away from everyone else, presumably to protect her ears. Makoto couldn’t blame her for that. “Y-you didn’t actually have to respond…”

Monokuma stood up, “Let me make one thing clear immediately: you precious students represent the hope of the monster world! Ah, to be young and full of promise! Now, to protect that sacred hope, hope that everyone-monsters and humans alike-relies on to create a better world, you all will be living strictly within the school. A harmonious communal life for the talent of the future! You’ll live this way until...the day you die!” 

“Th-the day we...wh-what?” Toko stumbled back a couple more steps. She wasn’t the only one. The force of that comment was practically physical, making each of them flinch or recoil.

“Not to worry! We have quite the budget, so all your needs will be accounted for!” Monokuma continued with the same chillingly playful tone. “You’ll be completely cut off from the outside world, of course. But who’d want to be out there anyway?”

Images of the metal plates over the windows and doors flashed through Makoto’s head. His stomach filled with sickly dread as he struggled to process the information he was being given.

“This is a sick joke,” Leon shifted uneasily. “I dunno if it’s the school or whoever, but, like...c’mon, this isn’t funny.”

Mondo snarled, “That’s right! Cut this shit out! It ain’t funny anymore!” 

Monokuma cocked his head to the side. “A joke? This is no joke or lie. I’m not a liar, you can be sure of that. Oh, well. Eventually you’ll see the truth, and then you won’t be able to deny it any longer.”

“Being trapped here would be...problematic,” Celeste’s face was calm, but her snakes were coiling and hissing. 

“Trapped makes it sound like you’re here against your will,” Monokuma put his paws on his hips, “you all agreed of your own free will to come to Hope’s Peak, didn’t you? And now you want to leave, before attending a single lesson? Well, as headmaster, I have developed a special clause for those who might want to leave. It’s the graduation clause! Since harmony is vital to communal living, any students who disrupt the harmony will be allowed to graduate!” 

“What do you mean by ‘disrupt the harmony?’” 

Makoto jolted, not realizing Byakuya was standing right behind him until he spoke. 

“Well, you know, if one student murdered another. I’ve supplied a very special knife in each of your rooms, in case the urge ever presents itself. It can kill anyone, any type of monster, so you don’t have to worry about anyone’s immunities! I don’t want anyone to be unfairly targeted because they’ve got more weaknesses. Headmasters should always promote fairness! Now, everyone, do your best to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible!” 

Each word struck like an ice pick. Makoto felt like he was going to collapse. There was no way this could be reality. It had to be some cruel, twisted joke.

Monokuma continued, “You guys are hope, but seeing hope get killed...why, it creates a wonderful shadow of despair. And that’s just so exciting, don’t you agree? This school is your world now! So go on, kill as much as you please!”

The silence that lay heavily over them was interrupted by laughter. Everyone turned towards Hiro. His arm had migrated down to be wrapped around Taka’s shoulders supportively. He spoke, “Ok, enough already. You got us. You’ve scared the hell out of us. Drop the joke, you’re making these kids go pale.” 

“Dude, shut the hell up and get outta my way,” Mondo pushed Hiro out of his way, storming up to Monokuma, “Listen up, asshole! Shit’s gone way too far! What kind of fucked up joke is this supposed to be?” 

“Joke?” Monokuma stared down at him blankly. “What, like your hair?”

Mondo kicked off the ground, leaping up onto the stage. The floorboards shook with the movement. The boom of his feet landing was thunderous. He grabbed Monokuma, who squeaked. “Gotcha, you piece of shit! Whatever the hell you are, I’m gonna rip you to fuckin’ shreds!” 

“Violence against the headmaster is against school rules!” Monokuma waved his little arms in a futile attempt to get free.

“Cut the crap and let me out of here, or I’ll fuckin’ scrap you!” When Monokuma stopped moving, Mondo grinned, “No smartass comeback this time?” His grin quickly fell back into a scowl, “Quit that dumbass beeping and say something!” 

They were too far to hear it at first, but suddenly the beeping sound Monokuma was making reached the ears of everyone else.

“Hurry, throw it as far as you can!” Kyoko ordered. “Just do it!”

Her ferocity must’ve stunned Mondo, who did what he was told without arguing. Not even a second after Monokuma had left his hands, he exploded in a huge, deafening fireball. 

“The fuck?” Mondo spat, eyes wide. “Shit, the little bitch really exploded!” 

There was a ringing in Makoto’s ears and the smell of gunpowder in his nose. He had never seen anything like that before. Sure, explosions happened all the time in movies and television, but it was nothing like the real thing. 

“B-but the teddy bear’s gone now,” Chihiro spoke, but was interrupted before she could finish her thought.

“I’m not a teddy bear! I’m Monokuma!”

Another Monokuma popped out from behind the podium. Mondo slammed his hands down on it, but even from the distance he was at, Makoto could see him tremble, “You son of a bitch! You really tried to kill me!” 

“I’ll let you off with a warning this time, but that’s what happens when you break school rules,” Monokuma poked Mondo’s pompadour. Mondo shot back like he had been bitten. “Now, for the final order of business...I’ve got a little present for all of you! It’s an e-handbook. Make sure not to lose it! When you boot it up, your name will appear, so make sure you don’t accidentally switch! It’s very resistant, and full of information, like the school rules, so make sure you study up, because the next offender won’t get off with such a light punishment!”

“Th-that’s not a punishment, that’s just...wrong,” Hina wrapped her arms around herself. 

“Well, that’s the end of the ceremony! Everyone, enjoy your new school life!” With that, Monokuma jumped off the podium. He pushed into view a box that must’ve held the e-Handbooks and then disappeared, leaving them in a state of numb shock. 

Some people started muttering things to themselves. Chihiro started crying and Sayaka almost fell, but Junko caught her and helped steady her. Mondo punched the podium. 

“Everyone, calm down,” Kyoko spoke up again. Her voice was strong and steady, and just hearing it inspired confidence in Makoto. It was exactly the kind of thing he needed to hear after his world had been thrown into chaos like that. “Let’s start by reviewing what we’ve heard. We have two choices, according to Monokuma. Stay here forever, and the other choice is…”

“We have to kill someone if we want to leave alive,” Celeste supplied. She stroked one of her snakes.

“This is...this is…” Hifumi was shaking, “what is this?!”

“A lie!” Taka stiffened up. Hiro squeezed his shoulders. “It must be fake!”

“Fake or real,” Byakuya startled Makoto again, “that’s not important right now. What’s important is if there’s anyone here who’s seriously considering it.”

Nobody responded. Makoto snuck glances at the group. Everyone was sizing each other up. The hostility was palpable. Monokuma’s horrible declaration had put awful thoughts deep inside each of them.

Hope’s Peak, this school that came out of nowhere for Makoto, was not a school of hope after all. It was a school of despair. 

“So? What are you going to do?” Kyoko’s words cut through the heavy atmosphere. “Just stand around glaring at one another?”

“She’s right!” Taka balled his hands into fists, “Even when you’re afraid, you have to step forward! To forget something so simple...I’m so ashamed! Please, someone hit me! I cannot live with myself unless I am punished!” 

Hiro gave his head an awkward pat before moving over to Chihiro, crouching and whispering softly to her as she continued to cry. 

“Jesus, man, instead of yelling about it, do something about it,” Mondo walked over to the box and started picking through the contents. He took out a tablet and turned it on. “Yo, ginger!” 

He tossed it without warning, but Leon ran to it and caught it without dropping his own head. Makoto supposed it was the baseball experience. Everyone hurried closer to the stage, so Mondo could hand out the handbooks without throwing them. It didn’t go overly smoothly, since Mondo didn’t remember most of their names, but it gave them something simple to focus on as they recovered from the shock. The activity almost felt normal, and they all needed the tiny bit of normalcy to cling to in such a bizarre situation.

“So...what is our mission, exactly?” Hifumi asked as he got his handbook. Leon elbowed him.

“To find a way out, duh!” 

“Plus find the dude controlling that stupid bear and beat the shit out of them,” Junko cracked her knuckles. 

“Should we look over the rules first…?” Chihiro asked quietly. She had stopped crying, thanks to Hiro, who was once again scanning the room to find the most upset person. There were oil stains streaked across her cheeks. “To make sure no one gets hurt…”

“Uh, Makoto, right?” Mondo handed him an e-Handbook, “and this must be yours, spooky girl…” he gave the last one to Celeste. Makoto looked down at his handbook.

His name was the first thing that came up. After a few seconds, it disappeared, leaving Makoto with a menu page. He pressed the School Rules icon. The list appeared: 

Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.  
Nighttime is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off limits at night.  
Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be considered sleeping in class and will be punished accordingly.  
With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope’s Peak at your discretion.  
Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of the surveillance cameras.   
Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes “blackened” will graduate, unless they are discovered.  
All killings must be performed with the provided monoknife.   
Additional rules may be added as necessary.

Makoto swallowed hard and glanced around. Everyone had a similar troubled expression. 

“This is bullshit,” Mondo jumped down from the stage with a thud. “I’m not gonna let this crap control me!”

“Then do as you please,” Celeste brought a hand up to her lips as she giggled darkly, “Personally, I’d love to see what happens to a rule breaker. Will Monokuma explode again, or will he do something else? Many possibilities await us.”

“If he gets in trouble, he won’t respawn,” Hifumi added nervously.

Mondo was quiet for a moment. “I...my older brother pounded it into my head that when a man makes a promise, he’s gotta keep it, even if it kills him.”

“...sooo?” Junko spoke up when no one else had the courage to ask for further explanation. She was holding two handbooks, one for her and the other for Sayaka.

“Sooo, I’ve made a lot of promises I still gotta keep! I’m not dyin’ in here!”

Celeste almost looked disappointed. “You’re saying you’ll follow the rules, are you? Very well.”

“Hey, I have a question,” Sayaka’s eyes were on her handbook, “What does rule six mean, exactly? I-I get the first part, but what does it mean, ‘unless they are discovered?’” 

“If you want to graduate, you have to kill without anyone finding out it was you.” Byakuya spoke. Makoto seemed to lose track of him whenever he was quiet. He moved around without making a sound. 

“Wh-why?” Toko fidgeted with her vial. 

Byakuya scoffed. “That doesn’t concern us right now. Let’s just do as the rules say and worry about that later. Frankly, I don’t want to hear anything from someone who waits around for others to decide everything for them. Grow a backbone.” 

“D-Don’t jab at me,” Toko’s face went red, but she was smiling shyly, as if she had been complimented. 

“More like a full-on stab...” Leon commented offhandedly as he tried to balance his handbook on his head.

Hina set her handbook in her lap, “Alright, let’s forget about this murder junk or whatever. It’s time we start exploring this school! We know the rules, so everyone will be fine!” 

“Agreed! The smartest thing we can do right now is to split off into small groups. This school is huge and there should be plenty of places that lead to an exit. I know if we all work hard, we will escape!” Taka exclaimed. There were some murmurs of agreement. 

“Damn straight!” Leon agreed with vigor, “Alright, I’m gonna head left out of the gym, see what’s on that side of school, who’s with me?”

“Excellent! In these situations, it is important to take leadership roles,” Taka held up his hands, “is that my left or your left?”

“It, uh, it’ll be the same left,” Leon held his head in the nook of his arm to hold up his hands the same way Taka was, “Leaving the gym-we’d be facing, the same way, y’know? Same left.”

“...I’m going alone,” Byakuya spoke up suddenly. His voice was quiet, but everyone’s eyes fell to him. 

Junko gave a funny look and cocked her head to one side, “That’s literally the stupidest idea. Why’d you wanna do that?”

“Any one of us could already be thinking of murdering the others.” 

The silence that swept across the gymnasium was destructive. The fragile calm they were working so desperately to cobble together fell apart again with just his words. 

Byakuya continued, “It’s foolish to herd together, making it all the more easy for them to do it.” 

Sayaka bristled, “H-hang on! There’s no way that could-“

“Don’t tell me there’s no way that could happen. The possibility is undeniably real. That’s why everyone got so quiet, wasn’t it? As soon as Monokuma said it, we were all thinking it.” Byakuya started to head towards the door, ghosting past his frozen classmates. “I’m not just going to wait around for it. I’m acting in accordance with my needs.”

“Hold on!” Mondo stepped in front of him. “You think I’m gonna let you do whatever the hell you want?! I don’t fuckin’ think so!”

Mondo wasn’t much taller than Byakuya, but his horns gave him extra height, and his rippling muscles cut an intimidating figure no matter what size you were. He seemed to tower over him, a mass of pure muscle and rage waiting for an excuse to rip somebody limb from limb. Anyone with any self preservation would’ve backed down, but Byakuya didn’t budge. “Oh, right, here’s someone who knows a lot about traveling in herds. Out of my way, move.”

Mondo’s nostrils flared, “The fuck you say to me, dickhead?”

Byakuya’s lips twitched into something resembling a smile, “I’m sorry, I forgot you’re cow from the waist up, including the brains. Let me put in a way you might understand better. Mooove.”

“I’m gonna beat the shit out of you, bitch!”

“W-wait,” Makoto stumbled forward before he could tell his feet what a stupid idea it was, “This isn’t right! We shouldn’t be fighting each other!”

“Oh, a wise guy, huh?” Mondo’s vicious stare was now fully directed on him. Every bad decision Makoto had ever made went through his mind as he came to terms with the fact that this had been his worst one. “You think you’re my dad, dipshit?! You’ll never be my dad!”

“Wait, wha-” Makoto’s confusion-filled last words were suddenly interrupted by the fist that flew straight into his face.

Makoto rocketed backwards, the force of the punch lifting him from his feet. He heard distant yelling he couldn’t focus on.

Next thing he knew, he was waking up in a bed in yet another puddle of drool. He didn’t remember the impact, but his body definitely did. Everything hurt. Makoto felt a bit sheepish over how he acted. He was so caught up in the moment, he had forgotten his fellow classmates were not normal highschool students. He was lucky he was walking away only bruised. 

With a strained groan, he dragged himself off the bed. Right away, Makoto noticed a surveillance camera and a monitor, similar to every other room he’s seen so far in this school. Other than that, it seemed like a normal bedroom. There was a table with a key resting on it. He picked it up, finding his own name written on the attached keychain. This must be his room, then. That made the surveillance equipment extra creepy. 

Pocketing the key, Makoto made his way towards the door. He should meet up with the others and see what he has missed while he was unconscious.

He opened the door and entered into the hallway, only to slam into someone. “Oof!”

Makoto’s nerves sang their song of pain as he was knocked to the ground. “Ow…”

He sat up and saw the other person was also sitting on the floor, fluffing out her wings. “Oh my gosh!” Makoto scrambled up and offered her a hand, “I’m so sorry, Sayaka! Are you okay?”

She put her wing into his hand and giggled as he pulled her up. “I wasn’t the one who was punched into a wall by a minotaur. I’m more worried about you. How are you feeling, Makoto?”

He mourned the loss of ever looking cool in Sayaka’s eyes and shrugged with a barely hidden wince, “I’ve been better, but I’ll live. Why are you here?”

“Oh! I was coming to get you actually. We’re going to meet in the dining hall soon, so I decided to come and see if you were awake yet to join us,” Sayaka explained.

“O-oh! That makes sense. In that case, we should probably get going.”

Sayaka nodded and the two began their trek to their destination. “Can I ask you something?” Sayaka glanced at him, and Makoto looked away nervously. 

“O-of course.”

Sayaka hummed, “Did you go to Blackroot Junior High?”

Makoto blinked. “Yeah, I did.”

“I knew it!” She giggled. “You were in class 2, right? I was in class 4, do you remember me?”

“How could I forget?” Makoto snuck a glance at her, smiling. She had always been popular. She was so charismatic and beautiful, and as the only monster at their middle school, she drew quite a crowd. “You were...I mean, I just-I’m surprised you remember me, when I’m so...ordinary.”

“Ordinary? But you’re so strange,” Sayaka laughed, and Makoto laughed a little too even though he didn’t understand what she meant. Her happiness was infectious. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here. It’s nice to already know somebody. Oh! I know. I’ll be your assistant!”

“M-my assistant?”

“That’s right! We’ll work hard to get out of here together!” Sayaka spread her wings out in a goofy display of pride, and Makoto couldn’t help but laugh again. 

They entered the dining hall, still laughing like they were a pair of normal high schoolers in a normal high school. Makoto’s laughter was only cut short when he got a look at the clock, “What? It’s already 7?!”

“Oh, yeah, you were out for a really long time,” Sayaka peered around the cafeteria, “looks like we’re the first ones here, but I’m sure the others will show up soon.”

As if summoned, Taka burst through the doors, the sudden movement making Makoto jump.

“Aha! Makoto! Sayaka! I see you two have beat me here! And I thought for sure I’d get here first,” Taka chuckled, shaking his head. Suddenly, his usual intensity returned, “I lack the fighting spirit I require! Next time, I will make sure I will get here first no matter what! Justice will prevail!”

“That’s a bit much,” Sayaka responded playfully. Makoto’s attention was on the other students, filing in behind Taka. After a few minutes, everyone showed up and began sitting around the large center table.

Byakuya and Toko were the only ones who didn’t pull up chairs, hanging back at a smaller table. Makoto only hesitated briefly before taking the open chair next to Mondo, who sat with his feet up on the table. Mondo watched him, and once he was seated gave him a painful smack on the shoulder that was intensified by Makoto’s injuries. “Yo, we cool?”

“Uh, yeah…” Makoto rubbed his shoulder, “I understand everyone’s on edge right now, so don’t worry about it.”

Taka stood at the head of the table, “Alright, now that we are all here-”

“Actually, we’re still missing someone,” Junko interrupted, “it’s what’s-her-name… the girl with the white hair?”

Makoto paled slightly. Thoughts of what Monokuma had told them flashed through his mind, but he tried to shake them. There was no way anyone had done anything to her. 

“She’s late!” Taka exclaimed, “She didn’t even warn us that she would be tardy! How unbecoming. However, we should begin regardless. I call our ‘search-for-an-escape’ meeting into session!”

Mondo glared over his shoulder at Byakuya, “How did goin’ off on your own go, dipshit? Find anything useful?”

Byakuya did not respond with the same venom as he did before. Makoto wondered briefly if it was for his sake, as he was in punching range once again. “I was hoping to find a clue about who imprisoned us here. I made no such discoveries. That’s all.” 

“You made such a big fuss over goin’ alone and found fuck all? Good job, dumbass.”

Byakuya remained unstirred. “If I’d uncovered anything, I’d have more to say. But I didn’t. So I don’t.” 

Taka cleared his throat. “Well I made quite the discovery! There is exactly one room for each one of us in the dormitory!” 

“Yeah, we know that already,” Hina responded, clearly unimpressed as she preoccupied herself with spritzing her face with her water bottle. Taka’s tail stopped wagging.

Sakura nodded, “Each room has a nameplate and inside is the key, which also bears our names.” She was still hovering instead of sitting. She seemed constantly on alert.

“Chihiro and I found out that the rooms are soundproof,” Junko added on, “I screamed at the top of my lungs and she didn’t hear shit. Like, full on ‘I’m getting murdered’ screaming.”

“Even with my audio receptors at 150% capacity, I still couldn’t hear her. It’s quite terrifying.”

“Each room has a bathroom,” Celeste said, “Though it seems that the bathrooms in the boys’ dorms do not lock, while the girls’ do.”

“I was with Chihiro and Junko,” Leon, who had his head resting on the table as he drummed his fingers next to it, spoke up. “We checked all the windows and doors, even on the upper levels, y’know, just in case we gotta jump. But it’s all bolted up and we couldn’t get any of the metal plates to budge a damn inch.” 

“We did find some cool shit though, like a pool,” Hiro added unhelpfully, wings fluttering in delight, “Oh! Some chickens too! They were so adorable.”

“Sakura and I tried to find a way to communicate with the outside world, but all we found was this busted up laptop without connection,” Hina put the laptop on the table. 

“Though we were interrupted in our search by Mondo with a plan to destroy the sealed hatch barring the entrance.”

“Well, Sakura’s strong and shit, so I thought maybe we could get the metal hunk over the door to move,” Mondo shrugged, “it was an idea, ok? We hit it with desks and chairs and everything, but nothin’. It was hard as like...metal.”

“It is metal…” Celeste muttered.

“This doesn’t concern communication with the outside world, but I still found it troubling.” Sakura spoke again, “certain areas on the top floor were gated off. We have no idea what’s beyond there.”

“I see…” Taka nodded thoughtfully. “Any other reports?” 

Hifumi readjusted his glasses sheepishly, “I’m not really the, um, junior detective type. I wasn’t quite sure what to do on my own, so...I didn’t do much.” 

“That’s lame,” Leon grumbled. 

“I-I was left out by you g-guys,” Toko spat, “n-no one invited me to come with, s-so what was I supposed to do?”

Junko made a face. “If you wanted to go with someone, you shoulda just said something.”

“F-forget it, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere with a s-slut like you…” 

Junko gasped, then bared her sharp teeth as she shot to her feet. She gripped her hands into fists, “What the hell? You don’t even know me.”

“Woah, ladies,” Hiro quickly stood up, holding out his paws defensively between the two girls, “let’s calm down, this stress is bad for our skin, you know?” 

Junko reluctantly returned to her seat with an annoyed grunt, her tail swishing angrily. The silence was uncomfortable, but luckily Sayaka spoke up, “So I guess that leaves me, right? I explored the kitchen. There’s tons of food in there, and we won’t have to worry about running out. Monokuma told me it gets restocked every day.”

“You saw him?” Makoto gaped.

“Yes, but he disappeared before I could ask him anything more. He moves so fast, it’s hard to believe he’s remote controlled.” Sayaka hummed. 

“I found a map.”

Everyone’s heads swiveled towards the sound of Kyoko’s voice. She made her way to the center of the room and placed the paper she was holding on the table.

“Kyoko! We had to start the meeting without you! And where did you-?” Taka started.

“Does it matter? What’s important is that we now have information that this is indeed Hope’s Peak. See? The layout is identical to this place.”

“So Monokuma wasn’t lying…” Makoto said, dread creeping into his veins. “We weren’t kidnapped, this is…”

“This is bullshit,” Mondo slammed his fist on the table, “What kind of fucked up school is this?” 

“And where are the other students?” Chihiro glanced around, but no one had an answer for her. Their search for answers only left them with more questions. 

After a moment, there was a giggle. Everyone’s eyes moved to Celeste. Toko scowled, “Wh-what’s so funny?”

“Hasn’t the situation sunken in yet?” Celeste smiled pleasantly, but Makoto thought he glimpsed a forked tongue in her mouth. As if she read his mind, she moved her hand up to her lips, “We are trapped in a location with no way out. We have to adapt. A lack of adaptability...is a lack of survivability. It does not matter who is strong or smart. All that matters is who can adapt. May I make a suggestion? Let us make our own rule.”

“What kind of rule...?” Hina asked.

“Well, nighttime is clearly outlined in the school rules as from 10 to 7. I believe we should make our own rule that no one can leave the dormitory during nighttime. If we do not agree on that, we will spend each night frightened that someone will come murder us in our sleep. We will not last long if that anxiety prevents us from sleeping.”

“We’ll self-destruct if we don’t set this rule in place,” Sakura agreed.

“On behalf of the men, I agree to comply!” Taka shouted officially, although there was nothing official about what he was saying.

“Man, you can’t decide to speak for us!” Leon complained, but was ignored.

“I’m glad we are decided.” Celeste stood up daintily. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I shall like to take a shower before nighttime arrives. Goodbye.” 

With that, Celeste made her way back to her room without a second glance. Everyone looked to Taka. “W-well!” Taka stammered, straightening up, “I guess that puts an end to our first meeting. Excellent work, everyone!”

Everyone lumbered back to the dormitory in silence. As Makoto locked his door behind him, he was hit with a wave of exhaustion. Despite having been passed out for so long earlier, he didn’t have any energy left. This whole crazy situation had drained it from him, so he just made his way over to the bed, not even bothering to undress before laying down and falling into listless sleep.


End file.
